login option for forum users

My forum used to be setup so unregistered users could post but then I got hit with tons of spam and changed it. I thought it would automatically provide me with a user registration/login option, but things cant be that easy, right?

I need help with setting up the option for people to register before posting to my forum. I looked into buddypress, but didn’t think it was a good idea since I’m a newbie.

Info—
Under general settings, I have “anyone can register” checked, with new user role as “subscriber”.
The only forum settings unchecked are: Allow topic and reply revision logging, Allow guest users without accounts to create topics and replies, and Use the fancy WordPress editor to create and edit topics and replies. The default forum user role is participant.

No one is able to reply or post new topics and there is no option to login. It says, you must be logged in to reply or create new topics.

I am very new to coding and had a web developer friend of mine put together my site for me and teach me the basics. I am now at a point of teaching myself anything new. I’ve read all the wp/bbpress documentation and searched Google for weeks with no luck.

I would appreciate any help if anyone has time. Please be as specific as possible 🙂